Behind These Hazel Eyes
by Mistress of the Arts
Summary: He never thought he would love again. He never thought he would capture the butterfly and her heart. He never thought that the dreams and love behind her hazel eyes would be all he ever really desired... Oneshot. Ray/OC. Written for DiQiao17.


**A/N: Okay, yeah, a really late Valentine's Day gift/oneshot to DiQiao17. For that I apologize greatly. I feel bad but here it is at last! Please no flaming but please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.**

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The aroma was intoxicating, sending wave upon wave of warmth through her as she stepped into the small Chinese restaurant. It had been a few months since she had made this her usual place to go whenever she got a lunch or dinner break from the bookstore she worked at part-time. She had been wary the first time she had tried their food, but the soothing voice and entrancing golden eyes of the one who prepared it had made her do so.

And that was the day she had not only fallen in love with his cooking, but with the chef himself.

Sarah felt the familiar smile tug on her lips as she opened the doors, inhaling the familiar aroma of the small Chinese restaurant. Her dark brown hair, cut in a bob-cut, bounced around her face as she slid into her usual seat in the corner. Hazel eyes glanced up, scanning the room for the familiar face she had longed to see since yesterday.

"Hey, Sarah."

Her eyes glanced up over the tops of her glasses, her once beating heart breaking at the evident sadness in Ray Kon's eyes. He gave her a smile, trying to mask his true emotions from her. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him, though Sarah tended to do so anyway.

It was just in her nature. She was a sweet girl. Timid and shy, but she was still sweet and beautiful, almost as if she was a butterfly.

"Ray…" he sensed the concern at once. "Is everything alright?"

Ray gave a nod, "Of course, Sarah. Why wouldn't it be?" He closed his eyes before grabbing the small notebook. "What can I get for you today?"

Sarah bit her lip, "Nothing."

She had lost her appetite.

How could she eat when Ray was hurting? 

If it wasn't for her shy nature, the brunette would've wrapped her arms around him and pulled in him for an embrace of comfort. However, she couldn't will herself to do so. Sarah bit down harder on her lip, avoiding looking at Ray, unable to voice her thoughts.

His hand squeezed her shoulder, before Ray wrapped his arms around her, propping his chin on her shoulder. His sweet scent of mist from a cool, clear waterfall made her face burn and her body to tremble slightly. His soft, midnight bangs brushed against the soft skin of her cheek.

"I'm okay, Sarah." He whispered against her ear, "You don't have to worry about me."

Sarah blushed and looked out of the corner of her eyes, "How can I not?"

Ray blinked and smiled, "You're so sweet, so good to me." Ray then surprised them both by pressing his lips against her cheek in a subtle kiss of gratitude. "Lunch is on the house. Whatever you want." 

Sarah felt her stomach knotting from the initial shock that Ray had just kissed her, but somehow she managed to look down at the menu.

"U-Um, t-the T-Tsao C-Chicken," Sarah managed to squeak, hiding her red face with the menu.

Ray was writing it down now, "With the friend rice and donuts, too?"

Sarah gave a nod, and quickly hid her face with her bangs when Ray took her shield. Smiling warmly and thinking to himself how adorable Sarah looked, Ray turned to get her order in. He brought her a glass of ice-cold Pepsi, Sarah swirling her straw in it while waiting for her lunch to be brought out.

Her hazel eyes traveled toward the kitchen. She could hear Ray's best childhood friend, Lee Wong, teasing him. Since they had gotten older, the Beybladers that Ray knew and cared for had started to get jobs outside of Beyblading.

For example, with the help of Ray's uncle in France, Ray had managed to open his own small restaurant with Lee and a couple of others from their once isolated village back in White Tiger Hills.

"There you are," Ray smiled, emerging with her lunch.

Sarah muttered her gratitude, expecting Ray to go back to work, but she heard the chair across from her scoot back across the floor. She barely had to glance up at him from under her lashes, seeing Ray smiling at her. He had his chin propped in his hand, his other arm crossed on the table.

Even though he was smiling sweetly at her, Sarah knew he was still in pain. Something or someone had hurt Ray, and she was shocked by how much rage she was feeling. She was a benevolent person who never thought violence was the answer.

Unless it came to Ray, and the deep-gut feeling that wrenched through Sarah told her Mariah was involved.

"Was it Mystel?"

She had seen the blond around Mariah more and more often over the course of the past few months. Ray froze, eyes widening that in that one split second, Sarah had hit the nail on the head. No one else could see right through him other than possibly Kai or Max.

And yet Sarah had been the first…

"Yeah," Ray saw no point in keeping up the charade.

She would just see right through that as well with her amazing and beautiful hazel eyes.

"How long?"

"Apparently they've been together for the past month or so… I only just found out." Ray crossed his arms and leaned back. "I found out from Lee too. By accident. He thought Mariah had told me."

"Ray… I wish I could console you but I don't know what to say exactly. Apologizing isn't going to heal the emotional wounds that Mariah and now Mystel have placed on your heart."

Ray blinked and felt, oddly, at peace.

"What would I do without you?"

Those words fell from his lips in a whisper.

Sarah felt her cheeks burning once again, "Go on with your life?" 

Ray shook his head, "No. My life hasn't been the same since you walked into it."

"What do you mean?"

"Even though the first girl I ever loved basically just threw my heart back in my face… I'm not hurting as badly as I expected I would. And I believe it's because of you, Sarah." 

Sarah didn't know how to respond to that confession from Ray.

She didn't dare hope for him to suddenly be in love with _her_ instead of the pinkette. Her love was unrequited and she had been aware of this for awhile. She knew how much Ray had cherished Mariah.

They had known each other since they were small children…

"Sarah… I'm really glad to have you in my life." Ray said, reaching over, and taking her hand in his.

She watched as his thumb brushed against the top of her hand, sending small chills through her and making her heart pound furiously. His touch was electrifying, and she couldn't help but hold her breath. How she wished this would turn into a moment like straight out of one of her romance novels.

It was a fantasy and nothing more, and Sarah knew this. Painfully, she knew this. Ray cherished her as a good friend and nothing more and that wouldn't ever change.

She dare not hope, in the least…

"Are you off shift?"

She jolted at the abrupt question, "Yes… I stopped here for lunch and was heading back home."

Ray glanced over at Lee, who was looking bored and playing with a ball of yawn as he lazily looked around the dead restaurant. Business hadn't been booming for the past week, but it was the slow period. Knowing his fellow neko-jin would be fine, Ray got a brilliant idea.

"May I walk you home?"

Sarah nearly choked on her delicious chicken, but managed a nod, hazel eyes wide in surprise. Ray chuckled softly before standing up as he noticed she was almost done.

"Let me go change."

Sarah watched as Ray left, giving her the time needed to finish her meal. She felt a rise of panic before she quickly hurried over to Lee. He glanced at her lazily.

"Do you have any mouthwash?"

Lee snickered as he grabbed a small bottle from under the counter, "Plan on kissing him?"

Sarah blushed. That thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She just didn't want to have her breath smell like her lunch or have some chicken stuck in her teeth or something else embarrassing like that.

Lee snickered again, "Go for it." 

"W-What?!" 

"Ray and Mariah have been drifting apart for awhile now. I think he's already over her for the most part. I mean, back at the apartment, he really has just talked about you for the past couple of weeks." Lee pointed out, before shrugging. "I'm just telling you what I think."

Sarah swished the mouth wash in her mouth to give her an excuse not to reply to his words. Once she spat it out in the water fountain and rinsed her mouth with water, Sarha finally straightened up. Lee was still smirking, his eyes dancing in amusement.

"You must really love him."

Sarah cringed, "S-Shut it! D-Do not!"

Lee chuckled as she looked ready to beam him with the phone book, "Calm down, girl. There's nothing wrong with that."

Eyes narrowed on him, Sarah stopped reaching for the book. "What do you mean?"

"I mean my sister made her choices. You can make your own too, and no one's going to stop you."

Lee dropped the subject just as Ray emerged, blinking as he looked between the two.

"Everything okay?" Ray inquired, head tilting to the side.

"Never better," Sarah said as Lee replied, "Nice weather."

Ray chuckled, "Ready, Sarah?"

Sarah gave a shy nod, glancing at Lee, who winked before amusing himself by playing Cat's Craddle with the yarn. The brunette turned to Ray, who was holding open the door for her. She grabbed her bag and quickly followed him outside, emerging in the warm air and sunshine.

They started heading down the street, cutting through the park. Sarah smiled sweetly as the sakura blossoms tickled her cheeks as a breeze started up. She loved Spring, especially in Beycity.

"Beautiful," Ray breathed.

Sarah assumed he was talking about the blossoms, but the sly glance she took revealed he had been gazing at her. She felt herself blush heavily and felt the impulse to find a rock to hide under.

"Sarah?"

They came to a stop, and Sarah felt nervous.

Who could blame her? 

"Yes, Ray?"

Ray turned to her, "Thank you."

Sarah blinked, "Um, for what?"

"Being worried about me…" Ray took a step closer, "For being there for me… always."

Sarah could barely breathe. Ray was close now, so close she felt his shoe brush against hers. Ray's hand hesitantly reached out to brush a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear, the action resulting in Sarah to stop breathing entirely, her face a deep scarlet.

"You're so cute when you blush…" Ray murmured.

"R-Ray…?"

"Shh…" Ray brushed his fingertips across her cheek. "Just listen…" 

Sarah waited, but he didn't say anything.

"Ra –"

"Listen to what my heart is saying."

Sarah froze as Ray whispered those words against her ear.

Ray continued after another brief moment of silence, "It doesn't hurt because I don't love her, Sarah… what hurts is seeing you walk away and taking a little bit of my heart with you everytime you do. Behind your hazel eyes are dreams and love… I want to be apart of those dreams."

This was surreal.

This was happening.

Wide and teary hazel eyes looked up, meeting gold eyes that were smoldering and captivating. Ray's gaze made her feel exposed, as if he could see straight down into her very core, into her soul. She feared what he saw when he stared into her soul.

"Sarah, will you have me?" Ray breathed.

How was she supposed to answer? 

She couldn't draw enough air to whisper her reply. She was completely breathless.

Sarah did the most impulsive thing she had ever done in her life. Never had she imagined initiating what took place in that moment. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down so she could cover his lips with her own shyly. Immediately Ray's hands found their way around her waist.

He savored the sweet touch of her lips to his. She tasted like sugar and white chocolate. Her innocent and sweet scent of lilacs made his mind whirl as he inhaled it.

Why had he waited so long to kiss this butterfly in his arms? 

Why had he hidden from her hazel gaze?

Behind those hazel eyes were dreams and love. Things he had craved for so long. Mariah and he had drifted far apart and were just trying to rekindle any love left.

There wasn't any.

They had fallen for two different people.

And it felt right.

Sarah pulled back, shyly lowering her gaze to the ground, but Ray simply smiled, brushed her strands of chestnut behind her ear, and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. Taking her hand, Ray entwined their fingers, pulling them down the sakura covered path with sweet smiles on their faces.

He wasn't going to let go of his butterfly.

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**ETP: Hehe. I am quite pleased with this.**

**Musical Inspiration: 1000 Words – FFX-2**


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